Board sends developer back to drawing board

Developers in Halfmoon will have to redesign a plan to build 150-townhome units and senior condominiums on a parcel of land on Plant Road, taking into account traffic concerns and proximity to other property owners, before the Town Board refers the project to the planning board.

Following a presentation by the Environmental Design Partnership Tuesday, May 20, which outlined the revisions to an initial site plan, Town Board members said they were concerned about the safety of roads leading to the proposed site.

Gordon P. Nicholson, a landscape architect for Environmental Design Partners, said the architects met with the Town Board more than a year ago and have since looked at some of the board's recommendations in updating their site plan.

Nicholson said he is not discouraged that the Town Board asked him to evaluate the site plan further.

It's all a part of the process, he said.

Nicholson said the developer's initial plans were to build 190 units on the 53-acre parcel of land located on Plant Road north of DeVoe's Rainbow Orchard on Route 9 in Halfmoon.

He said they scaled the number of units back to address the board's concerns and plan to make 40 of the 150 parcels available to adults 55 and older. The remaining 110 units will be townhomes.

He said the site would also include a pool, clubhouse and pond with fountain, as well as a homeowner's association.

Town Board Member Regina Parker said she was wary of the safety of seniors crossing Plant Road.

"At the rate of speed you can travel on that road and the curve, it's not safe," said Parker referring to the area on Plant Road where the Environmental Design Partnership proposed placing a crosswalk.

She said making a crosswalk for residents on Plant Road is not safe especially for seniors, who may have mobility issues.